Weekly Review No.80
This week, Double-deckers take over West Auckland, KiwiRail to retire the Aratere and bus fares to increase in Christchurch.
Welcome to the Weekly Review. This past week has seen bus operators come and go, trains return to the rail network following major maintenance, and we got a sneak peek at a new hybrid ferry for Auckland. Read more about these stories and more in the 80th edition of the NZ Transit Buzz Weekly Review!
CITEF installed a new driver training simulator for KiwiRail at the Middleton Locomotive Depot in Christchurch. This equipment is part of the supply of the new Stadler DM Locomotives.
A grungy, “wind tunnel” of a street, is caught in a furore over how roads around a new train station will deal with thousands of train passengers every day.
Sunday marked the final day of Ritchies, Pavlovich and Kinetic operating the 120, WX1, 11T & 11W bus routes in Auckland.
The Australian Bus Fleet Lists website uncovered that TransDev Howick & Eastern and Tranzurban have temporarily exchanged 4 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses with 4 CRRC eD12 MAX's. The temporary swap is while Tranzurban constructs its Westgate Depot to supply the full electric charging infrastructure for its new EV fleet.
TransDev Howick & Eastern have swapped buses 501, 505, 511 & 513 with Tranzurban's 3866, 3867, 3868 & 3869.
On Sunday afternoon, we spotted a test train verifying the track changes near Henderson Station with the train travelling between the track works at the station up to the Mount Lebanon Lane level crossing.
A bus EV charger is being installed at Constellation Bus Station in the bus lay-by area. This charger will support the recently upgraded and electrified 12, as well as the soon-to-be electric Kinetic North Shore depot.
A weekly bus ride to go shopping is a chance to chat, swap recipes and enjoy the sights of the city for clients of the Plus Bus shopping service.
Island Direct corrected their scheduled maintenance notice, service will resume from 3:15 pm on Friday, 16 May (not Saturday, 17 May, as previously stated).
By Shaun Baker from Multimodal Adventures: A look at the improvements building on the northwest bus network in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Six new bus stop bays opened on southern Durham Street in Tauranga on Monday morning, the old stops one block to the north will be removed by the end of May.
KiwiRail has announced that the Wiri to Quay Park Third Main Line is now ready for its operational readiness phase.
KiwiRail has shared photos and videos from their worksites across the Wellington Rail Network from the recent network closures. Works included: new track at Khandallah station, stabilised slopes at Wadestown, and new rail along the Johnsonville Line.
Auckland Transport is about to begin maintenance work on Matiatia Wharf on Waiheke Island.
Works include:
Renewal works on Pier 4
Relocating the Coastguard to accommodate future work on Pier 2
Relocation of redundant fuel pontoon
Metro Canterbury's Route 7 Halswell to Queenspark customers will be able to turn up to their stop and go, with the frequency of the service being increased. The service will run every 10 minutes from 5.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays and every 15 minutes outside of those hours, and on weekends.
Auckland Transport shared images of their new hybrid ferry being transferred between shipyards on the Whanganui River and the new ferry charging tower undergoing testing before shipping to NZ
While Aucklanders may have seen the return of their train network on Monday, the Auckland Tram network will be slightly reduced as MOTAT begins Stage 2 of their Western Springs Tramway upgrade.
From 28 April to 19 June, trams will only run to Motions Road corner, This partial track closure will allow for MOTAT to replace the passing loop and switches near the Motions Road corner. The switches were custom-built in Prazska Storjirna, Czech Republic and shipped to Aotearoa.
Christchurch Tramway moved to its winter operating hours. The first tram will depart from Cathedral Junction (Tram Stop 1) at 9 a,m and the last tram departs Tram Stop 1 at 4 pm daily (one hour prior to closing).
A bus stop at Hawke’s Bay Airport is being proposed by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, in a first for the region. New bus stops are also proposed at the traffic-plagued Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.
From the 27th of April, weekend services on Metlink's route 83 will be run by double-decker buses.
Earthworks are progressing on Westgate Bus Station, with much of the work site focus at present on constructing a new retaining wall by the motorway on-ramp, levelling the site and adding new drainage systems.
Creating a ferry link between Christchurch and Wellington will be considered as part of a 30-year master plan being developed for Lyttelton Port Company.
Auckland Transport confirmed that Auckland has 224 electric buses following the introduction of 44 buses in West Auckland on Sunday. A further 31 electric buses will be added to the fleet by the end of June, and by August next year, there will be 450 electric buses total.
Double-deck electric buses
The three-axle electric bus is designed by Tranzit Group’s team of specialists with the chassis built in China through bus partner CRRC and the body built in Malaysia through partner Gemilang.
Have 508kW of CATL batteries providing more than 300kms of range on a single charge.
Have capacity for 83 seated and 17 standing passengers along with 1 wheelchair space.
Passengers will be able to charge their phones thanks to USB ports and wireless pads
Drivers will be kept safe with protection screens and an onboard fatigue management system which sits on the modern driver’s dashboard.
Single-deck electric buses
Have 508 kW of CATL batteries providing more than 360kms of range on a single charge.
Have capacity for 37 seated and 38 standing passengers along with 2 wheelchair spaces.
Passengers will be able to charge their phones thanks to USB ports.
Drivers will be kept safe with protection screens and an onboard fatigue management system which sits on the modern driver’s dashboard.
City Rail Link shared photos of the escalator shaft at Karanga-a-Hape Station, which has had all the internal scaffolding removed.
KiwiRail shared a time-lapse video of the turnout replacement at the Newmarket Triangle, which crews replaced during the April School Holidays rail network shutdown.
Dedicated bus lanes have been removed from the State Highway 29 Tauriko West Project.
Auckland Transport is proposing to make changes to Dominion Road. Changes include adjusting bus lane hours, extending some bus lane sections and installing part-time right turn bans.
We kicked off the middle of the week with some praise for AT around improvements they made to the Rail Bus Network, but highlighted some sections that could still do with some tweaking to improve the rail bus experience.
Auckland's rail bus network still needs some attention
We have just come off two weeks of rail buses in Auckland, and over the past 12 months, Auckland Transport has been tweaking, adjusting and improving Auckland's rail bus network. Stops have been moved, shuttles added, express services added and removed, and overall bus quality has improved.
Dunedin councillors are considering a push to bring back a central city bus loop — despite warnings from staff the concept has little chance of success.
Canterbury’s regional council plans to boost its Rangiora to Cashmere bus route - if it can get the funding.
Auckland Transport raised concerns with KiwiRail over the potential for “a catastrophic incident” with “multiple fatalities” on its metro rail network.
Ngā Mahi Rail spent ANZAC weekend assisting with the replacement of a mainline turnout at Whatakao on the East Coast Main Trunk.
From July 2025, Greater Christchurch Metrocard bus fares will be $3.00 for a standard adult fare.
Child fare (5-18-years-old): $1.50
Community Services Card Holder: $1.50
Total Mobility Card Holder: $2.00
Youth fare (19-24-years-old): $2.50
KiwiRail says that its Avondale-Southdown rail link may be fast-tracked, but not everyone is happy as opinions among locals and experts differ.
Wellington’s East By West ferry service is moving to a cashless payment system from 1 May 2025, with the harbour ferries accepting ticket payments via credit or debit cards.
Interislander’s rail-enabled ferry Aratere will be retired this year to make way for the port redevelopment needed in Picton to prepare for the two brand-new ferries arriving in 2029. Due to loading & unloading infrastructure that Aratere needs, it is unable to use other wharfs.
Minister for Rail Winston Peters supports the decision by the KiwiRail board to retire the Aratere from service. Peter’s also noted that the cost of temporary rail ferry infrastructure would have cost $120 million.
City Rail Link shared their first combined newsletter update from Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu stations. At Karanga-a-Hape, work continues on the platform fitout and station entrance.
CRL also released the April Maungawhau Station Newsletter, which shows a lot of work has been happening inside the station, completing the fitout works and outside the station, streetscape works are well underway.
Work on Tyler Street behind Waitematā Station is mostly complete, with the construction focus shifting to the station plaza rebuild. Much of the site has been cleared and flattened as paving work starts. In early 2025 the tree pits were completed.
The Rail and Maritime Union says the decision to retire the Aratere will sever the rail connection between the North and South Islands for years and make it a less viable freight option.
A new Pou has been installed at Rahui Pookeka Huntly Railway Station. The Pou symbolises the deep history of the local landscape and marks a new chapter for the historic 1939 station which has undergone a journey from relocation to restoration.
The Rail Minister says any supply chain interruptions caused by the Interislander reducing its Cook Strait ferry fleet can be handled.
One of City Rail Link's test trains successfully recovered another fully laden, inoperable train. The inoperable test train was filled with 3,000 sandbags, then a rescue train carried out recovery trials through the steepest part of the network, between Karanga-a-Hape & Maungawhau.
The second batch of KiwiRail's new curtainsider containers has arrived in the country and hit the rails. This batch is an order of 100 curtainsider containers that feature artwork created by KiwiRail's in-house designers.
In 2023, Auckland Transport shared and consulted on plans for the streets surrounding the Karanga-a-Hape CRL station. They were well received, yet they’ve since been subject to major changes. What happened?
Bike racks on ORC’s Orbus services in Queenstown can now resume day and night usage from 1 May 2025, after all 23 of Queenstown’s buses were modified and made compliant with Land Transport rules.
The opening times for the bus bike racks in Christchurch have changed. Passengers will be able to carry their bike on the bus bike rack from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm during the month of May.
Busit's tote bag design competition is back and is open to intermediate & high school students across Hamilton. There are 4 major prize packs available, and a winning design will get printed on the tote.